Good Practice Guide for Students Enhancing the learning in Australian University Student Volunteering How do I find out about volunteering?

The university you attend may have a ‘Volunteer Hub’, or other central location where volunteer activities are advertised or sponsored. You can also find out about volunteering opportunities through: • Orientation week advertising • Friends, peers, classmates • Information promoted in class • University careers centre • The Guild or Student Union • Joining a sports or other interest club • Your local Volunteer Resource Centre • Online via govolunteer.com

Some courses in universities include a What is University Student Volunteering? Service Learning component, providing valuable learning opportunities. University Student Volunteering refers to students acting in a volunteer capacity in a range of organisations, both inside and outside universities. This is the term adopted REMEMBER: It takes time to set up a by this project. volunteering activity or opportunity. Many organisations will want to When we do similar tasks not through an organisation, we are helping others out. interview you, you may need to undergo There is debate about whether students required to volunteer are genuinely background checking (e.g. a police volunteering. The relationship between volunteering and Work Integrated Learning clearance or working with children check), (WIL) (e.g. service learning, internships, practica and work experience) are part of this and you may need to attend induction debate. For a discussion of the complexities of definitions refer to the Concept Guide or orientation before you commence for Volunteering Terminology. volunteering. It is important to honour their commitment to you when you This guide is a resource for students based on data gathered for this project. Details volunteer. about the project are on the back of this guide.

Some reasons Thinking about volunteering? university students Student volunteering could involve academic learning, or learning new skills and say they volunteer knowledge; it could be taking the opportunity to make new friends or discovering an interest or purpose in contributing to society; or it could be to enhance employability. • To help others Some considerations for you might be: • To act upon their values • Your life goals and what you would like to achieve when graduating – consider • To support a cause the way that volunteering could help you achieve these goals. • To develop skills • How important it is to challenge yourself – get out of your comfort zone, • To learn/practice English become more independent, be confronted by something new. • To gain experience • Your time and other resources: what can you reasonably fit into your schedule? Just because volunteering is unpaid does not mean you can leave • To increase employability whenever you like, because the organisation (and clients) are relying on you. • To add to their CV • Your social goals: how important is it to you to develop networks, make new • To make friends friendships, help others to develop a sense of connectedness and community? • For fun • Your employment goals: what additional skills and knowledge do you want to • Because their friends volunteer acquire, or new directions you want to pursue? • To be active • Your personal goals: how important is it for you to gain satisfaction and • “Because it’s what you do” happiness from helping others, as well as having fun and enjoying yourself in the process? • “It’s expected of me” • Your own characteristics. Are you a person who prefers clear boundaries and • For academic credit structures, to be organised and given tasks to do? Or would you prefer to work • *Because it’s required on your own and be left in charge of how to do it? You might find this quiz useful: www.myworldofwork.co.uk/content/what-type-of-volunteering-is-for-me. * See the Concept Guide for Terminology. Thinking about learning

It is useful to reflect on your learning while volunteering, particularly if there is no framework provided for this. Keep a reflective log of your activities, the skills you have acquired, problems you have solved and experiences which have changed your thinking. Evidence suggests this will help you to get the most out of your volunteer activity. See the Concept Guide on Learning.

Thinking about graduating

The experiences and learning you have gained from volunteering are important additions to your job seeking. Including information about your practical experience and learning from volunteering in your CV, and using examples from your experience in interviews can give you an edge when competing for employment. Your reflective log can help jog your memory for job applications. See over and see also the Guide for Potential Employers.

What sort of host organisation might I Breaking down work with? stereotypes –

Host organisations tend to fall into four groups: rewarding volunteering • Student organisations The Australian Indigenous Mentoring • University programs, projects or centres Experience (AIME) project works with • Organisations which have specific or particular arrangements or assignments for Aboriginal school children to help them student volunteers, and to achieve their goals through mentoring and workshops. Around the country • Those organisations which involve or include students just the same as any AIME operates within many different other volunteer. communities and universities. Some examples from our research include: “ The big part of it is breaking down • Helping at events organised by the student guild/union or activity clubs stereotypes for those students about • Internal university activities, such as orientation week or open day what they can expect for themselves and what others expect for them, like showing • Fundraising for charities and highlighting that to be an Aboriginal • Working in second hand book or opportunity shops person is really a great thing, and that it’s • Serving on committees a successful thing. ” • Running student academic events • Mentoring either in university or in the community (school students for example) • Working with specific organisations in the community • A self-organised student group formed in the student village collaborated to help other student organisations with events How might volunteering help me get a job? What makes a

Volunteering can develop work-related skills, knowledge and other attributes good volunteering such as: experience? • learning the professional skills of managing, coordinating projects, time management and goal setting; Finding an activity that suits your schedule, satisfies your interest and helps you • developing new knowledge from a change in focus or direction; achieve some of your more specific goals • enhancing discipline-specific skills, knowledge and networks; will contribute positively to your student • preparing for an interview and workplace behaviours; and volunteering experience. Our evidence • developing personal skills of self-efficacy and self-confidence, learning how to is that good communication at the start deal with pressure. of the volunteering relationship will lead to better outcomes. Clarification of Volunteer managers want people who are reliable, conscientious and empathetic expectations on both sides about credit, to the cause of the organisation, as do potential employers. See also Guide for supervision, time availability, length of Potential Employers. commitment, skills needs and reasons for volunteering will enhance your experience.

Keeping it legal Eye-Opening

All volunteering activities associated with the university have some form of legal experiences framework. Formally arranged volunteering within a university is incorporated within People who are most involved in university legal structures. In many cases legal agreements are drawn up between “ volunteering do it because they get universities and host organisations. All parties should be familiar with what they satisfaction, they like seeing other people cover: be happy and satisfied. It is a benefit. • the nature of the host, student and university relationship; You do it because you want to do it • the obligations of all involved; and you get satisfaction out of helping • what restrictions there are, if any; other people. ” • what liabilities there may be; Student volunteer in student formed organisation • how insurances are arranged and what they cover; and • the period of the agreement. “ When somebody comes in and says I can’t afford five or ten dollars you go, oh In addition to the more broadly applicable legal provisions which apply to any no… that was an experience that I kind of workplace, such as, confidentiality or harassment. stepped back and went I never really have to think I don’t have clean clothes to wear While it is not possible to provide individual information to cover all circumstances, today… I can bring that kind of experience nor is it appropriate to provide legal advice, all student volunteers, managers and host back into what I do with other students. organisations should be aware of the specific provisions which apply including those ” relating to employment law. Student volunteer in second hand clothing store What are some common challenges? And how do I deal with them? Not having clear guidelines or structures to Ask for a schedule, timetable or other specifics about the activity, your role, and support your volunteering expectations.

Time commitment Assess realistically how much time you have and match your volunteering to that – it is better to increase your volunteering if you find you have more time than pull out altogether because you are over committed.

Culture shock or not feeling part of the culture of This is common for all people on joining an organisation. Find out as much the organisation as you can about the organisation before you start and allow yourself time to ‘settle in’ and make connections there.

Reality check - we are not going to change the Maybe not, but the little that you do will make a big difference. world

‘Ungrateful’/ ‘angry’ clients/recipients when Some people who are experiencing hardship or disadvantage in some way may things go wrong react negatively to you as a volunteer. Understanding their situation can help, as can training and supervision in the organisation.

The ‘bad’ volunteer experience Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we hope or expect. Take the lessons from it and engage in a new experience. The vast majority of volunteering experiences are positive.

The cost There will be some cost, even if only in time. Some organisations can help with bus fares for example. But again, choose a volunteering activity that is within your resources: close to transport, easy to access from work or study, to minimise any out of pocket expenses

Different motivations for volunteering (e.g. Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons. Accepting that there are volunteering for the hours on a transcript) different roles people can and do play and therefore contribute can make the experience less tense.

Transport (Living off campus) Choose a volunteering activity that fits within your schedule and availability. If you live off campus you may choose to volunteer for one-off events rather than sign up to a semester long activity.

Lack of interest from volunteering or university If you find the service unresponsive, there are plenty of places that will welcome structures or services you – try your Guild or Hub.

Getting ‘stuck’ in the same role Many students volunteer for one activity over a period and then move to another in the next semester, but there may be benefits in staying in the same activity – getting to know a stable network, demonstrating stability, developing skills to a greater depth.

There are few young people in some organisations The demographics of a volunteer organisation differ. But extending your networks can be of immense benefit and be pleasurable too! of manytheimages inthesebrochures. The Researchteam wouldliketothankVolunteering Western Australiafortheprovision • • Terminology Plus Concept Guides on: • Employers • • • GoodPracticeOther Guides: they were finalised. for feedback,andaseriesofworkshopswere heldtofurtherrefine theguidesbefore Drafts oftheGuideswere senttoourreference group, andagroup ofcriticalfriends was usedintheanalysisofdata. the poolingofknowledgeandexperienceteam.Aninterpretivist approach The interviewframeworkswere informedbytheliterature, themappingexercise, and consistency across thevariousinterviewswithdifferent stakeholdergroups. who developedandusedasetofinterviewframeworkstoensure somelevelof Semi-structured interviews were conductedbymembersoftheproject team, organisations, participatinguniversities,andpeakvolunteeringbodies. one pointintime,andanextensivesuiteofinterviewsconductedwith:students,host on universitystudentvolunteeringfrom alloftheAustralianuniversitywebsitesat the extantliterature, amappingexercise tocapture thepubliclyavailableinformation voices ofstakeholders.Themulti-stagedatacollectioninvolvedfamiliarisationwith The project teamsought tocollectdatainawaythatallowedforinclusionofthe of stakeholders. the different perspectivesonuniversitystudentvolunteeringfrom arange The project relied onaqualitativeapproach todevelopanunderstanding of Methodology Macquarie UniversityandtheofWesternAustralia. led byMurdoch UniversityandinvolvingCurtinUniversity, EdithCowanUniversity, Volunteering and toLearnisanOfficeforLearning Teaching (OLT) fundedproject About theProject Enhancing Learning Host Organisations University Program Managers Senior UniversityStaff

Learning andTeaching.Learning Officefor of theAustralianGovernment project donot necessarilyreflect theviews andTeaching.Learning Theviewsinthis Officefor by theAustralianGovernment Support forthisproject hasbeenprovided volunteeringtolearn/ www.murdoch.edu.au/projects/ Dr SusanYoung Australia The UniversityofWestern A/Prof DebbieHaski-Leventhal Macquarie University A/Prof MaryamOmari Edith CowanUniversity A/Prof KirstenHolmes Dr RowenaScott Curtin University A/Prof JudyMacCallum Dr MeganPaull Murdoch University

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